Do horses miss their friends?

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Merlin11

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A horse I had on loan went back to his owner on Saturday. He had been here nearly 4 years and had got quite attached to one on my horses. There was a bit of calling to each other when the horse left. I then distracted the remaining horses with some food and they seemed ok. The horse he was attached to seems a bit subdued and wasn't tucking into his hay as normal yesterday. He seems back to normal today. But just wondering if anyone has any experiences of this and do horses miss their pals or do they get over it very quickly!
 
I think they get over it relatively quickly, but its not to say they never remember friends in thoughts. What I have found is that they always remember friends as my loan horse met friends in old homes all the time and they always remembered each other... Even who to avoid!!
 
Thanks tally ho. Yes I have found that too. If we meet some horses they used to know out on a hack say there is definitely signs of recognition even if they haven't seen them for a few years.
 
One of the loveliest things I have ever seen was a Mare and Gelding who had spent many years together when they were young, the mare was sold and away from the yard for a few years until her old owner bought her back. He spotted her immediately and there was much calling to each other. The day they were put out together I was at the yard and if horses are capable of showing pure joy then those two did. It brought a lump to my throat.
 
That's a lovely story Tormenta. One of our geldings used to be in with mares and foals and guarded the foals and could not be separated from them. He had been away from them for a few months and one day we brought him back to the yard for a visit and the foals started calling to him. It was lovely to see.
 
When we took daughter's pony to a 3 day SJ champ, his field companion, Manni, pined and stood by the gate the whole time, even though he had horses on either side of his paddock. When we got home and put Toby back in the field, he walked up to Manni, bit him on the bum (his usual greeting) and they happily wandered off to graze together.

When Toby was sold, Manni pined again, but a new horse came to the yard and we put it in with him and then he seemed happy again.

Manni used to live with a big dapple grey and once we saw one at an event and Manni just kept staring at him all the time and did call, but as it was not the same grey it did not call back. I felt a bit sorry for Manni.

So on the whole, yes, I do think they miss their friends.
 
I had a gelding on a yard and met a mare for a few months on same yard.

Several years later we met her at a dressage comp. He really didn't want to leave the warm up arena with her still there. Made his feelings quite clear. I think they do remember old friends and enemies!
 
I think they do.
Had a very embarrassing time at a show one year.
Had sold a lovely gelding from the summer championships in August - great home, nice people.
We met up with them around end of April the following year on the national circuit, gelding was being ridden past our lorry when our old lead rein pony shouted loudly from inside. Gelding turned, screamed & tore up the ramp with very scared young rider on :eek: luckily the rear doors were shut, but there was a lot of 'chortling' from both ponies and it took 2 of us to lead pony back down the ramp, having encouraged rider to hop off.

I was so apologetic to them but the lovely mum understood & said that he did have friends at home but this was so unique to her, she had to forgive him.

I thought the little poppet had decided to come home with us! :o

They did have to give us a wide berth for the rest of the day :o

Have also had similar from others who have left & then returned after a big break in time
 
I moved my mare to a new yard just over a year ago. I still hack back to the old yard every several months and my mare's boyfriend spots her coming down the lane and calls and calls and calls at her. I wouldn't say that he misses her, he's just happy to see her iyswim.
 
Yes they do miss their friends. My old TB who was 21 was best buddies with my friend's foal. He was like a Grandad to him - he was very protective over the foal and would only really let me and my friend near him. Even though there was 20 years between them they would play for hours and were virtually inseparable. The foal had to go for an operation under general anaesthetic and due to complications very sadly had to be put to sleep. My horse never got back to his normal self - we had managed his arthritis successfully for quite a few years, but when he lost his best buddy he went downhill rapidly and nothing worked any more. It was as if he gave up on life and only a few months after his friend went, we had to have him put to sleep. I still really believe it broke his heart.
 
They defo do, I had my mare on a yard for 5 years out in a small herd of about 4 most of the time! the farmer died and the horses slowly left! so her and a tb called kiki were left with just one other friend! I ended up moving her for almost 2 years and she never settled into the new yard, she was out with 10 others and she never really had a friend, so I ended up moving her back. Kiki was still there and he was sooo pleased to see her, wouldnt leave her side! She played hard to get, just put her head down to eat

but when I tried to get her in to ride he'd get really stressed, and she really reacted, so I ended up having to retire her until he was put down a year or so later! they were both old, he was an ex racer! she's still kicking around at almost 28!!!
 
You bet they do, and I am having real problems with my big lad.

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His little girlfriend was lost very quickly 10 days ago, she was 27 and was his soulmate, standing over him (he is 17.2) when he was very ill back in the summer, she never left his side.

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He was allowed to watch when she went over rainbow bridge, but not allowed to see her picked up. She was lost in the early evening. He settled as if nothing had happened, he remained settled the following morning and was puzzled rather than upset through the day. I was so surprised and stupidly thought he was going to be ok.

The next day all hell broke loose, he called and cried all day, he paced up and down his barn, he did not eat much or drink. He can see some of the others but it made no difference.

The subsequent days have been trying, yesterday he was awfully upset again and got very hot, today he has not been sweating and is more settled.
 
This is something that had worried me very much as I recently have sold one of two rising 6 year olds whom i bought as weanlings and consequently had been to gether their whole lives never even spent one night apart. They were velcroed together at all times as they lived out 24/7 in the same field with my mare. I was almost at the point of thinking I would have to commit to keeping them for the rest of their lives because I thought the one I wanted to keep would have a mental breakdown over it, as out of the two he was much more clingy.Anyway off one of them went 10 days ago and they both appear to be fine, the one I have kept has been a little subdued but nothing how i thought he would be and the other has settled down fine and is making new friends in his new home so i am very surprised but also very relieved that neither of them appear to be too upset certainly not as much as me anyway !
 
Any 'being' will miss those who make them feel safe, understood and part of a tribe.

Take that 'person' away and the loss and stress can be huge whether you're a horse or a wolf.

My darling old cat was pts nearly 2 weeks ago. Her younger 'sister' saw her body, sniffed it and walked away asking for food, but in the following week, she was the most clingy, shouty and insecure cat I've ever had.

Make of that what you will.
 
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That's really sad adorable Alice. I hope he gets over it soon. At least my boy still has his best friend. If they were ever separated I think it would be a different story. Not sure if they would get over it. They were kept just the 2 of them for 2 years and really don't like being separated. That is why I got a couple of companions on loan. Just have the one companion now and the 2 best friends.
 
irishdraft said:
This is something that had worried me very much as I recently have sold one of two rising 6 year olds whom i bought as weanlings and consequently had been to gether their whole lives never even spent one night apart. They were velcroed together at all times as they lived out 24/7 in the same field with my mare. I was almost at the point of thinking I would have to commit to keeping them for the rest of their lives because I thought the one I wanted to keep would have a mental breakdown over it, as out of the two he was much more clingy.Anyway off one of them went 10 days ago and they both appear to be fine, the one I have kept has been a little subdued but nothing how i thought he would be and the other has settled down fine and is making new friends in his new home so i am very surprised but also very relieved that neither of them appear to be too upset certainly not as much as me anyway !
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I think your horses had a decent chance of coping because they are young and commencing a working life with their brains and body occupied.

My two were non ridden, the little one had not been ridden in years and the big boy is seriously injured and has been off work since August 2011, their lives revolved around one another with nothing, other than me, interacting with them.
 
Merlin11 said:
That's really sad adorable Alice. I hope he gets over it soon. At least my boy still has his best friend. If they were ever separated I think it would be a different story. Not sure if they would get over it. They were kept just the 2 of them for 2 years and really don't like being separated. That is why I got a couple of companions on loan. Just have the one companion now and the 2 best friends.
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It is being closely monitored - he has a camera and I have just checked him now. At present he has a friendly cow the other side of his partition and then a little further over 2 old mares, but they have free access to the paddock and if they clear off it upsets him.

We are keeping an open mind and if only the spring, grass and warmth would hurry up and arrive he can go out again alongside other horses. He is a late cut stallion and can be a bully, but his tiny girlfriend soon sussed she was quicker than him and if he really peed her off she planted him one, so it was a love hate relationship that worked. We have got another tiny girlfriend on standby if shove comes to push, but there is the risk he will hurt a stranger and we prefer to try and get him through it and then give him company each side of the post and rail.
 
My old pony is totally attached to my tb. If I take the tb to a show he whinnies all day and canters to the gate when he sees anyone. He won't settle and squeals constantly if they aren't in together or out together. I took my tb to an event for 4 days and after a couple of days he did settle a bit but was very down until he came back. I'm taking my tb on holiday for 12 days in march and I hope he is going to be ok :/ he's in his 30's and its way too far for him to travel and stay at a new yard.
 
Yes i split my 2 up for a few months and if my gelding could have cried when i took my mare away i swear he would have, he was upset until i moved him to a new yard with new friends shortly after, they just saw each other again about a month ago and were sooo chuffed it was amazing!!
 
There's a very touching reference to this in Clare Balding's autobiograpy My Animals and Other Family.

Yes of course they recognise old friends. Why wouldn't they? That's why I hate to separate old friends - and their joy on being reunited is heart-melting.
 
A friend moved her horse to a new yard, I followed two weeks later and my horse galloped up to hers, clearly ecstatic. They are inseparable in the field, although mine is being a trauma jumping out of his field currently. I'd say yes, they do miss their friends.
 
We saw my friends horses brother whilst out hacking recently (his owner moved him to a yard near us) they haven't seen each other in years and started calling to each other and were so happy to see each other, it was a lovely moment. They spotted each other before we did!
 
Yes they do, but the most heart rending thing in the world is a mare mourning a dead foal.

I have been through this twice now with my mare and it still makes me cry. She is paddocked with her first foal (now 7) and they remain so close.
 
tallyho! said:
I think they get over it relatively quickly, but its not to say they never remember friends in thoughts. What I have found is that they always remember friends as my loan horse met friends in old homes all the time and they always remembered each other... Even who to avoid!!
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When I first had Blue he was on a big DIY yard and turned out with some 20 other ponies. I moved him a year later and about 5yrs after THAT we hacked over to the old place to meet a friend. My pony (who is quiet as a mouse normally) neighed his little head off all the way up the lane, on tippy toes trying to look over the hedge!
 
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They definitely do miss one another - I moved from my old yard and my mares old friend stood by her gate for over 3 months looking for her :( My girl went off her food and wasn't her usual self for about a month, but then perked up when one of her old mates from the previous yard turned up where we were :D
 
I think they definitely do! My boy and his next door stable neighbour and best friend call to each other even when they've July been apart for a day (like if one is competing) the first thing they do is nuzzle through the grill of the dividing wall. Heaven forbid if they ever need to be separated. They are in different fields though so thankfully they aren't too attached.
 
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